


Maybe We'll Walk in Light

by gravitropism



Series: Beating Heart [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Biting, Flashbacks, M/M, Some Romance, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2018-12-17 13:36:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11852676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravitropism/pseuds/gravitropism
Summary: Kyungsoo begrudgingly takes Jongdae to Salem.





	1. Kyungsoo and Jongdae go to Salem.

**Author's Note:**

> Max requested that I write this, so this is for her, the sweetheart <3
> 
> Extras! e n j o y

After a significant amount of begging on Jongdae’s part, Kyungsoo finally consented to taking him to see Salem and all of his old haunts before he was chased out by the massive horde of zombies (Kyungsoo was secretly hoping that the witches wouldn’t notice his presence, or they might have another problem on their hands).

So Kyungsoo took a Friday off and drove west with Jongdae to the miserable town of Salem.

“Can you show me the field where you fought the zombies?” Jongdae asked, bouncing in his seat slightly. “This is history I’m actually interested in, since you were involved.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, and flicked on the turn signal. “I’m glad you support my profession. And the problem is, it started in a field, but trailed all over town. There was a lot of running around trying not to get overwhelmed, okay?”

Jongdae shrugged, and attempted to peer out the car’s darkened windows, to little avail. “That’s fine, as long as we get to see all the places from that one play.”

“The Crucible is hardly an accurate representation of what happened,” Kyungsoo grumbled, and turned into the parking lot of the hotel they would be staying in. “Although, even I can’t deny its literary merit.”

Jongdae didn’t really seem to be paying attention. “Is this it?” he asked, and slithered out of the car, being careful not to let the dying sunlight hit Kyungsoo’s body. 

Kyungsoo reached down and pulled out his umbrella and sunglasses, slipping them on and exiting the car. “Yes, this is the hotel. Why don’t you take my credit card, and go check us in? I’ll get our bags. Oh,” he paused on his way to the trunk and tipped his sunglasses down, “Try not to mention my name to anyone. I’m not sure who remembers me around here, and I’d rather not take any chances.”

Jongdae took the card he held out with his gloved hands, and nodded. “Isn’t the card under your name, though?”

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo cracked open the trunk and easily lifted their shared suitcase out and onto the pavement. “It’s under a different name. Call me Elias when we’re in public, alright?”

“Did you have to pick something so old-fashioned?” Jongdae whined, but stumbled away on legs still stiff from the long car ride towards the entrance to the hotel.

“I’m paying, so deal with it!” Kyungsoo called after him. Jongdae just waved, and walked in the doors. Idiot, but a lovable one.

\--

Jongdae swiped the keycard in the lock, and the door clicked open. He held it for Kyungsoo, who had his umbrella in one hand and the suitcase in the other, and followed him into the room. Kyungsoo placed the case down at the end of the bed, and shut his umbrella.

“So, can we go to the museum tomorrow morning? I’m interested in seeing the papers,” Jongdae said as he flopped down, bouncing slightly as he hit the mattress.

Kyungsoo took off his sunglasses slowly. “You realize we can’t go to the museum together, correct? I can’t go out into the sunlight.” He could make the occasional necessary outing during the day, but a whole museum trip, when there might be light streaming through the windows? Impossible.

Jongdae sat up, frowning. “But that was the whole point of us coming here together, so you could teach me about stuff, and now you’re saying we can’t go?”

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Kyungsoo sighed, stripping off his gloves and jacket. The sun was going down now, he could tell through the curtains. “Besides, we don’t know who could recognize me.”

“It’s been over 50 years, Kyungsoo! Also, why the hell did we come here if we can only go out at night, when the museums aren’t open?” Jongdae got up, frustrated, and walked over to the windows, about to open the curtains, but stopped. “I can’t even open the fucking curtains or you’ll get burnt.”

Kyungsoo let out a frustrated growl. “What do you think I’ve struggled with all of my undead life, Jongdae? I pay for being immortal every day. And witches live for a long time. Not as long as I can, but for long enough that the younger ones will probably recognize me if they get a close enough look.”

“Oh, fantastic. What are we going to do then, just sit in this hotel room all day?”

“All day? Yes, at least I will. You can go to the museums during the day, but that’s not what I brought you here for,” Kyungsoo explained, walking up to Jongdae and placing a hand on his shoulder. The sun was low enough now that the light would not hurt him, so he pushed the curtains open. “Salem is much scarier at night.”

Jongdae turned his head and stared at him. Kyungsoo grinned, and he must have looked a little spooky in the low light. Jongdae shuddered. “I see. So we’re going to wander around in the dark instead? That’s not creepy at all.”

“Trust me, it’s a lot more fun in the dark. There are some nice bars downtown, so we’ll get you a little tipsy first, and then go to all the supposedly haunted places. Then tomorrow night we can do the more historical tour after you’ve been to the museums. You can do what you want Sunday morning, and we’ll drive back in the late afternoon. Sound like a plan?”

Shrugging, Jongdae turned to face him. “I guess I should have realized you had this figured out already. Sorry for yelling, Soo.” He looked bashful, and there was a splash of pink covering his cheeks. Kyungsoo brought a hand up to run his thumb over the color.

“It’s fine. It’s frustrating for me, too, I’ve just had a lot longer to deal with it.” His fingers slid into Jongdae’s hair, and he leaned in to press a light kiss to his lips. “And I apologize for not telling you my plans earlier.”

Jongdae laughed, his eyes flitting down to Kyungsoo’s lips and back up. “You don’t need to apologize for that, you know.”

\--

“I think you’re a little more than tipsy,” Kyungsoo said. “How many drinks did you have, again?”

Jongdae stumbled over a dip in the road. “I’m coherent, and that’s all that matters. Whoever came up with that pumpkin flavored shit is a fucking genius; that was delicious,” he said, using Kyungsoo’s arm to stabilize himself. “Where the fuck can I buy some?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that tomorrow, but for now, get yourself together. The cemetery is up ahead.”

“Ooh, spooky,” Jongdae giggled. “Are we gonna see a dead body?”

Kyungsoo sighed and gently tugged Jongdae towards the entrance. “No, we’re not. I’m not sure where you got that idea, but please try not to brain yourself on a gravestone.”

\--

By the time they got back to the hotel, Jongdae was mostly sobered up. Kyungsoo debated trying to get him in the shower, but ultimately decided against it. He was clearly tired, and would benefit from some sleep.

Jongdae collapsed on the bed, yawning. He stretched, and said, “Want to have sex?”

Kyungsoo blinked. “I guess? Aren’t you a little tired?”

Shaking his head, Jongdae sat up. “I’m tired, but not so tired that I wouldn’t be up for a round.”

“Well. Fine with me, then,” Kyungsoo said, and climbed onto the bed beside him. “Come here so I can kiss you.”

“Romantic,” Jongdae muttered, but crawled over all the same.

Kyungsoo snorted. “Oh, like ‘want to have sex’ was romantic. Really reminds me why I fell in love with you.”

Jongdae flicked him on the forehead. “Less talking, alright?”

Kyungsoo acquiesced, and cupped Jongdae’s jaw. He brushed his thumb over Jongdae’s lips, paying special attention to the little curve at the ends, and kissed him deeply. Jongdae let out a soft breath as their lips parted momentarily, and Kyungsoo smiled before leaning in again.

“So beautiful,” he muttered into their kiss, “I could do this forever.”

Jongdae’s hands snuck up his shirt. “Thank you. Some of us don’t have that long, so hurry up.”

Kyungsoo laughed quietly, but sat up anyway. He hauled Jongdae up with him, and carefully but quickly removed his shirt. Using only the slightest bit of pressure, he dragged his nails over Jongdae’s torso, and the resulting shiver caused Kyungsoo to bite down on his own lip. Jongdae really was beautiful.

Jongdae had somehow managed to undo all the buttons on his shirt, and was now attempting to slide it off his shoulders. Kyungsoo released Jongdae to help out, shaking it off his shoulders, before going back to tracing over Jongdae’s skin. His fingers landed on the button of his jeans.

“This okay?”

Jongdae nodded. “Yes, please.”

Kyungsoo grinned, and undid the button and zipper. He stroked the newly revealed skin underneath, reveling in the warmth. What would sex be like if he was still human? Did he ever have sex as a human? Who knows, and it’s not like it matters now.

“Hurry, please, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae whined, tangling his fingers in Kyungsoo’s hair. “If you’re not going to fuck me yet at least suck me off.”

“I guess I could do that,” Kyungsoo said, carefully sliding Jongdae’s jeans off his legs, and tossing them onto the only chair in the room. He’ll fold them later. “Do try your best to hold still. I don’t want to accidentally bruise you.”

“Mmmmokay see what if I want you to bruise me?” Jongdae suggested, a dopey look on his face. “C’mon, that would be fuckin’ hot.”

Kyungsoo made a face. “Sure, whatever. Move around all you want then, but be warned I’m going to hold you down.”

“Fuuuuuuck,” Jongdae said, and tugged on Kyungsoo’s hair. “Now I’m really hard. Suck, please.”

Tamping down his irritation, Kyungsoo dragged Jongdae’s underwear down his legs and promptly pinned him down by the hips. Although his nose was sensitive, the smell of Jongdae has never failed to help in bringing Kyungsoo to a state of arousal, and this time was no exception.

He pressed down harder on Jongdae’s hip bones, and made small bite marks up Jongdae’s thigh. Jongdae’s breathing sped up, and Kyungsoo made a mental note to keep track of his heart rate, especially because of his drunkenness. Kyungsoo lapped up Jongdae’s dick starting at his balls, this time being careful not to break any skin, especially with his canines, although he thinks Jongdae might just be into that.

“Come on,” Jongdae said, breathing labored. “Take it all in. I know you can.”

Kyungsoo could indeed take all of Jongdae in, and he did so, prompting Jongdae to cry out and try to thrust his hips further into Kyungsoo’s mouth. Kyungsoo held him down, thumbs no doubt leaving prints that would turn to bruises in the morning.

Taking his time, Kyungsoo worked his mouth up and down, allowing Jongdae some movement, but mostly taking control himself. Jongdae continued to whine, begging Kyungsoo to go faster and just fucking suck him, already.

“I don’t want you to come yet,” Kyungsoo said, pulling off. “You’re going to come when I bite you.”

Jongdae laid there, panting. “And when will that be?”

“You’re just going to have to be patient, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo said, ignoring Jongdae’s protests. He leaves the bed for a brief moment to grab anal lube and a condom. The condom was dropped next to Jongdae’s head, but Kyungsoo squeezed some lube onto his fingers, and pushed open Jongdae’s legs. “Thank fuck I made you clean yourself out before we went out drinking.”

Jongdae chuckled. “Yup. Because all I feel like doing right now is getting fucked.” Kyungsoo inserts a finger, and he yelped. “Hurry that up, will you?”

“It’s your problem if I don’t stretch you enough,” Kyungsoo said, pumping his finger in and out. “I’m going to go for another.”

“Fine, yeah, whatever. I’m still a little tipsy, I can regret it in the morning.”

Kyungsoo merely sighed and slipped in another finger. “That’s the sort of attitude that’s going to get you in a mess one day.”

Jongdae made some sort of shrugging motion and spread his legs wider. “I’m dating a vampire with a taste for my blood. I think I’m already in enough of a mess”

“Case in point,” Kyungsoo muttered, but withdrew his fingers anyway. “Are you ready now?”

“When am I not ready?” Jongdae trilled, and made grabby hands at Kyungsoo. “Suit up and get over here.”

Kyungsoo heaved a sigh. Why did he think it would be okay to date someone ages younger than him? He ripped open the condom package and rolled it on. Which was a good point, actually, can vampires get venereal diseases? Probably a question for a different day. Jacking himself, he stared down at Jongdae who was making pleading noises. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But you want to fuck me, so come on already,” Jongdae said, and Kyungsoo heaved yet another sigh but complied. He tugged Jongdae’s hips towards him, and carefully guided himself in. “And I was serious about the bruise thing. I know you’re not really into that, but I really don’t mind.”

“Goddamn, you little shit,” Kyungsoo complained, and moved Jongdae’s legs to hang over his shoulders. “I really don’t get why you want this so much,” he mumbled, but started moving slowly anyway. Jongdae shuddered, and pulled Kyungsoo down towards him until their chests were touching and Kyungsoo could literally feel Jongdae’s heart pumping his blood through his veins.

“I want to ride you,” Jongdae hummed into Kyungsoo’s ear, so Kyungsoo heaved him up and set him on his lap. Easing himself onto his knees, Jongdae sank down and let out a weak moan. “Fuck, that’s nice.”

Kyungsoo growled. “Fuck yes,” he said. The way Jongdae was squeezing around him felt incredible. “If you want me to bite you, though, we’re going to have to go back down.”

“Did you just growl at me?”

Kyungsoo proceeded to fuck up into Jongdae, effectively ending all conversation. He gripped Jongdae’s hips hard, and in turn Jongdae wound himself around Kyungsoo’s torso, one hand it his hair and the other braced against his lower back.

Eventually Kyungsoo could sense Jongdae getting close to his breaking point, so he paused for a brief moment to tip him back down onto the mattress.

“Are we getting to the bite-y part now?” Jongdae asked breathlessly. His needy hands wormed their way down to grip Kyungsoo’s ass.

“Soon,” Kyungsoo promised quietly, focusing most of his attention on the way Jongdae’s body moved under him.

“Can that soon be now?” Jongdae whined, and Kyungsoo made an annoyed noise. He sped up, and Jongdae’s moans increased in pitch to become little ah’s with every thrust. When Jongdae clenched and started teething at his own hand, Kyungsoo grinned.

“Now is good, don’t you think?” he asked, and opened his jaw wide enough to bite down somewhere between Jongdae’s collarbone and neck.

Jongdae immediately tensed and came, his cum splattering as far as his chest. Kyungsoo’s eyes rolled back into his head; the taste of Jongdae’s blood combined with pleasure had him coming not soon after. He could only manage to remember to pull his teeth out before he collapsed on top of Jongdae, and he laid there lapping at the bite, blissed out of his mind.

It was a few minutes before either of them felt like moving or even speaking.

“Damn,” Jongdae said. “Could you get off me now, though? For someone so short you’re so heavy.”

Kyungsoo pressed one last kiss to Jongdae’s neck before dragging himself up. “Look who’s talking, jesus fuck.”

“Let me live,” Jongdae complained. “Also could you carry me into the shower? I’m a little woozy and I can’t feel my legs.”

Kyungsoo groaned. “I really didn’t take that much blood,” he replied. “But fine.”

Jongdae made a kissy face at him. “See, you totally love me.”

“Mmhm,” Kyungsoo hummed as he lifted Jongdae off the bed and carried him off. “That might be true.”

“Love you too, you vampiric asshole.”


	2. Shouldn't We Be Sleeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened in San Francisco?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h e y there friend. someone wanted san fran so here it is.

SAN FRANCISCO, 1976

Kyungsoo steps out of the cab. It’s late, but the streetlights provide enough light for people to get around. But Kyungsoo really doesn’t need them, being a vampire and all.

He hopes that it’s not too late to check into his hotel. Paying the driver, he gets out with his suitcase carrying enough clothing for maybe a week. He’s not planning on staying long.

The lights flicker as Kyungsoo steps inside, but the carpets are clean, and the dozing bellboy’s uniform is tidy. He walks across the lobby, taking it all in. It’s a lot hotter here than it is in New York, and if he was human, it might have been uncomfortable.

But he’s not. “Can I help you?” the receptionist asks. Kyungsoo looks up. The man’s hair is neat, his uniform is pressed crisp, and he has a welcoming smile on his face.

“I need a room,” Kyungsoo says quietly, unwilling to disrupt the tranquility of the lobby. “Preferably something with thick curtains.”

“I’ve got a room with a single bed and a north-facing window?” the man suggests, looking down at his book. “Would that do? Our curtains are pretty thick.”

Kyungsoo nods, and rifles around in his pockets, pulling out his wallet. “Yeah, if you could. Thanks.”

“Sure,” the man says with a smile that’s maybe a little too bright for this late at night. “You from out east?”

Kyungsoo pauses in finding his credit card. “How did you know?”

“Nobody here would wear that color,” the man says, laughing quietly. “Get yourself out of black and into brown.”

“I like black,” Kyungsoo mutters, finally finding his card. He hands it over, and the man continues talking.

“Are you here on vacation?” he asks, writing Kyungsoo’s information down.

Kyungsoo shifts in place. “You could say that,” he says. “I don’t think I’m going to stay long, but we’ll see.”

The man returns his credit card. “Got anything planned for your trip?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well then, would you like to come out with me after I finish my shift in two hours? I know all of the good spots,” the man says with a wink. 

Kyungsoo balks. “I don’t even know you.”

“Hello, I’m Raymond.” He flashes his nametag and winks. “You can call me Ray. Now you do. What do you say?”

Should he go with this guy? Will they even get along? “I’m... Soo,” Kyungsoo says. He likes to avoid giving out his full name, especially to strangers. “I guess I could go out. As long as we’re back before sunrise.”

Ray smiles at him. “I’m sure I can manage that.” He leans over the desk. “You down to drink, gorgeous?”

“Um, I...” Kyungsoo wasn’t expecting that, being called gorgeous.

“Sorry, are you not...?” Ray asks, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. “I just kind of assume that single guys coming to vacation here are gay.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says, widening his eyes, “No, I am. But. Is that a thing that usually happens?”

Ray relaxes, and gives Kyungsoo a lazy grin. “Honey, are you kidding me? San Francisco is pretty much the ‘Gay Mecca.’”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. I’m surprised you didn’t know,” Ray laughs. “Wait ‘til I get off work, sweetheart. I’m going to give you the time of your life.”

\--

“It’s called the Castro District,” Ray explains as they walk down the sidewalk. Kyungsoo breathes in; the smell of alcohol is heavy on the night air. “Gay only bars, all up and down the street. It’s wonderful. I moved here straight when I turned eighteen. Best decision of my life.”

“Really,” Kyungsoo murmurs. He’s not sure if he’s more excited or worried.

They step into a mildly crowded bar. The lighting is sort of dim, but Kyungsoo can easily see men intertwined around each other. The thought of being able to do that in all of the bars here sends a delighted shiver down his spine.

“Can I buy you your first drink?” Ray asks as they settle on bar stools. “I think there’s a drag show in about half an hour.”

“Sure. Drag show?”

“Oh, sweetheart. You are in for a wild ride.”

\--

They stumble from bar to bar, Ray getting progressively drunker while Kyungsoo only pretends. But really, he’s drunk on the pure exhilaration of being able to let go. He meets dozens of new people, introducing himself while realizing that most of the people won’t even remember him tomorrow due to their drunkenness.

“I’m having sex tonight,” a distinctly inebriated Ray decides. Kyungsoo laughs aloud.

“You’re drunk off your face, idiot, there’s no way you’ll be able to get it up.”

“I’m going to try anyway,” Ray says, holding his fists up. “To new friendship!” he chants.

“Right,” Kyungsoo says, rolling his eyes. But this is the happiest he’s been in a while, so.

\--

After three weeks of endless bars on weekends, Kyungsoo decides that it would be worth getting an apartment. He has money, so why not sign a year’s lease and go with it?

He informs Ray of his decision that night.

“I think I’m going to stick around for a while, maybe get an apartment” he says, sipping his beer. “I didn’t originally plan on it, but I like it here.”

“Who doesn’t,” Ray jokes, nudging his bicep. “Man, your alcohol tolerance is incredible. Do you spend all of your free time drunk? Wait, there’s Jerry over there, in the green shirt? Hey, Jerry!” he calls out, and the man turns.

“Ray! Soo!” Jerry walks over, and Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow.

“Nice shirt,” he says. 

Jerry hits him playfully. “I know you hate all colors barring black, but you don’t have to shove it in my face.”

Kyungsoo laughs. Jerry is not only attractive, but willing to put up with a little push and shove.

“When you two are done flirting,” Ray says, stealing Kyungsoo’s drink, “I think we need to talk about the parade in a few months.”

Kyungsoo is very glad that he cannot blush.

\--

He nearly trips over the threshold to his hotel room, but manages to right himself in time. They’re kissing desperately, and Kyungsoo feels alive for once.

“Should I get an apartment?” he asks Jerry between kisses. “I kind of want to stay here.”

Jerry laughs. “Do it. You haven’t seen nearly enough of San Francisco yet.”

“Alright,” Kyungsoo says, and they fall back onto the bed.

They fuck (there’s really no better word for it), teeth clashing, bodies spread out for each other to take, Jerry’s skin heating Kyungsoo through to the bone. When they’re finished, they lie in bed and talk about the bars, the people, about Ray, about the changing climate of the world.

Kyungsoo really wants to stay.

\--

There is more sex, most of the time with one man, occasionally with two. Kyungsoo gets blowjobs in back corners. He gives blowjobs in back corners. He takes men back to his new apartment and fucks them, or lets them fuck him.

He has nothing better to do, really. He doesn’t want to get a job here; it’s far too sunny to stay permanently. So Kyungsoo decides that he’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

There are blood suppliers out here, too. Kyungsoo asked his vampire friends from New York to hook him up, and hook him up they did. Here in California, they’ve got every kind of blood under the sun, but Kyungsoo sticks to prepackaged human. It’s convenient, and he doesn’t want to bite anyone.

Ray remains a constant in his undead life. He never seems to see an issue with Kyungsoo never going out during the day, though he does occasionally protest when Kyungsoo refuses to get breakfast with him as the sun comes up.

They’ve been to nearly every bar in the city together, and they’re sitting in one of their usual haunts when Ray first brings up the topic of sex clubs.

“You ever been to one?”

Kyungsoo blinks, and focuses his attention back to their table. “Been to one of what?”

“A sex club,” Ray clarifies. “Do they have those in New York?”

Shrugging, Kyungsoo replies, “If they do, I’ve never been to any.”

“And you’ve never been to any here?” Ray says with a lifted eyebrow.

“I rarely go anywhere without you,” Kyungsoo says, grinning at him. “You would have known if I had.” He really hasn’t. On the nights that he’s not out with Ray, he’s either out at the bars with other friends they have in common, or just walking around the city exploring. He’s only been here three and a half months, so there’s still plenty to see.

“Then we should go to one. I haven’t been in a while,” Ray says, crossing his arms. “Are you up for it?”

“Tonight?” Kyungsoo asks, eyebrows slowly creeping up his forehead. “I’m not sure about tonight.”

Ray waves him off. “You don’t have to do anything. We’re just going to go and observe. And drink. There are bars inside, too.”

Kyungsoo laughs quietly. “There are bars everywhere here. Why am I not surprised?”

“To be fair, public sex is a lot easier when you’re a little intoxicated,” Ray says with a shrug. “I would know.”

“Would you, now?” Kyungsoo mutters. “Right, well. I suppose we can go.”

“Great,” Ray says, and lifts his glass. “Finish your drink and we’ll leave.”

It’s easy for Kyungsoo to drain his glass and follow Ray out the door, but when they get to the entrance to one of the actual sex clubs, it’s a little harder to enter. He hesitates before stepping over the threshold.

“Come on in,” Ray encourages. “Seriously, nobody is going to touch you if you don’t want it.”

Kyungsoo gives up and follows him in. They travel down a short hallway before getting to the actual entrance where a bouncer waits. Handing over the very reasonable fee, Ray guides him inside.

The first thing he notices is the smell. It’s a little sour, a little bitter, and not necessarily bad, but close to it. The room itself is actually rather large, Kyungsoo realizes, and also dimly lit. Which, again, is totally fine for him, because he can see perfectly fine in the dark.

“This is one of the tamer ones,” Ray explains. “The nicer and more intense clubs are a lot harder to get into. You have to be invited, for some of them.”

Kyungsoo lifts his eyebrows. “Really.”

“Yes, really. Just you wait. You’ll be in the scene in no time. Don’t think I haven’t seen you sneaking off to have sex,” Ray chuckles. “I’ve got my eye on you, you little demon.”

“Make another joke about my height and I will eviscerate you,” Kyungsoo says absentmindedly, still taking in the decor.

“Whoa, calm down there,” Ray says. “Why don’t we go to the bar, and see what’s happening?”

Kyungsoo nods in affirmation, and they walk over to the bar on the left side of the room. There are low couches, and rugs, and scantily clad men are sitting and talking, or wrapped around each other on the floor, or simply watching with drinks in hand.

He slides onto one of the low bar stools next to Ray, who is already ordering them drinks. Sometimes he fears for the man’s liver, but then he realizes that he’ll never be around to see the consequences. He’s not sure whether to be sad about that or not.

“Get out of your head,” Ray advises, sliding a glass towards him. “Just relax and observe.” He waves a hand around. “It’s much better than magazines. You can’t masturbate, because that’s creepy and they’ll throw you out, but you can save it for later.” Ray taps his temple and winks. “I’ve gotten off many times to thinking about places like this.”

“Do you...” Kyungsoo gestures at the floor. “Ever participate?”

“Oh yeah, plenty of times,” Ray says, almost boastfully. “I won’t tonight. Not prepared; you know how it is. We should go over and watch, though. I think I see someone I know.”

Kyungsoo thinks for a moment. “You go ahead. I think I’ll watch from here for a while.”

Ray nods. “Suit yourself,” he says, and carries his drink over to a couch about fifty paces away. Kyungsoo sits back and sips at his beer. It’s not that he is disgusted or even scared of all the people, it all just seems so... filthy? So many people having sex in such a small place... and all of the fluids. Kyungsoo shivers. He can’t get sick, not really, but it still seems so disgusting. The smell would linger for days.

He’s sitting there, minding his own business, when a very muscular man walks up to him, looking him up and down appraisingly.

Kyungsoo freezes. He didn’t expect to have to interact with anyone here, and now he’s being looked at like a piece of meat. It doesn’t help that all buff dude is wearing a very very tiny pair of leather shorts that leave little to one’s imagination.

The man trailed his fingers down Kyungsoo’s arm. “Hey pretty, want to be my bitch?”

Kyungsoo cannot hold himself responsible for his actions after that point. He was already uncomfortable in the situation, and a mildly demeaning statement from someone with a completely different mindset paired with unwanted physical contact had flipped some switch inside him.

He punches the man square in the face. Stumbling back, the man clutches his nose, and yells. “What the fuck?” which of course captures the attention of all the people in the room.

“Whoa, no violence allowed!” the bartender shouts. “Way uncalled for, dude!”

Kyungsoo looks down at his knuckles. They aren’t bruised, or even red. He stays silent, as the noise swells around him.

“Soo!” a voice calls out. It’s Ray, pushing through the crowd. “What did you do?”

“I punched him,” Kyungsoo says, resisting the urge to smile. It’s been a while since he’s hit someone. It feels good. “He touched me, so I punched him.

Ray appears to have a bit of an internal struggle, then he grips Kyungsoo’s bicep and starts dragging him towards the door. “Sorry folks, he’s a little too drunk, and he may be short, but he’s got a temper, haha.”

They make it out the door without anyone stopping them before Ray finally lets go of his arm.

“Why?” Kyungsoo asks simply. “I was just defending myself.”

“Yeah, that’s not really how you should do it,” Ray hisses, nudging him further along the sidewalk. “Instead, maybe just say no next time?”

“He was in leather shorts? I was scared, and when I’m scared, I punch,” Kyungsoo reasons. “It’s what I’ve done in the past.”

“Jesus,” Ray says with a sigh. “I don’t think I even want to know. But that aside, we can’t go back to this club for a while, because of you.”

“They won’t let us in?”

“They’ll let us in, but we’ll have to wait a while so everyone forgets. Nice going, by the way.”

Kyungsoo winces. “Sorry.”

Ray laughs. “It’s fine. That place is kind of boring, compared to others. We’ll just go to a different one tomorrow night.”

\--

They do. It’s a lot better, and Kyungsoo knows what to expect this time. It also helps that nobody touches him. With Ray’s encouragement, he receives a blowjob in a corner from a very eager young man.

The next weekend they go back to the same club, and Kyungsoo is the one giving the blowjob. He decides that it’s actually a lot of fun. Ray is, of course, ecstatic.

“Look at my baby growing up,” he coos, patting Kyungsoo on the ass. “You have cum on your chin.”

Kyungsoo brings a hand up to swipe it away. “This is a little weird, but okay.”

Ray lifts an eyebrow. “What, the sex? There’s nothing wrong with doing this, you know.”

“Obviously, or I wouldn’t be doing it,” Kyungsoo says, rolling his eyes. “I’m talking about you encouraging me like this.”

“I’m just around to help poor deprived young souls out of their shells,” Ray says, hands on his hips. He looks very proud of himself. “Can you blame me?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t have anything to say to that. “It’s getting late, I should head back.”

Ray sighs dramatically and waves him off. “One day you’ll join me for early morning breakfast. One day, Soo.”

Kyungsoo just walks off.

\--

It takes him a while, but he finally gets over the embarrassment of having public sex. It’s not that he’s never done anything like it before; he used to have threesomes back when he was still dating... he’d rather not think about that. But there’s a difference between everyone participating and having people watch you.

“It’s honestly pretty flattering, to me at least,” Ray says, as Kyungsoo gets ready for his first foray into the field. “People are watching because they admire you.”

“I suppose,” Kyungsoo says. He’s got his shirt and pants off, and he’s down to his underwear. The guy sitting on the couch across from them has his eyes on Kyungsoo, and judging by his physical size, Kyungsoo can already guess who is going to want to top. He doesn’t like stereotypes, but sometimes they are inevitable.

And it is actually flattering, to Kyungsoo’s surprise, as he’s on his hands and knees getting fucked into the floor.

\--

They don’t stick to the normal sex clubs, oh no. Not on Ray’s watch by any means. He slowly ramps up the intensity of their excursions, and Kyungsoo finds that he is legitimately enjoying himself.

“I kind of regret punching that one guy in the face now,” he says to Ray. He’s wearing a pair of leather pants, and a white shirt for a little modesty. He’ll probably take it off later. “I think I can appreciate leather shorts better now that I’ve learned more about the scene.”

“And that is what I like to call personal growth,” Ray says proudly. He’s busy eyeing another man halfway across the club. “Go get ‘em.”

“I’ll do that,” Kyungsoo promises, already looking around for a partner of his own.

\--

Somewhere in between all of the dancing, drinking, and sex, Kyungsoo realizes that Ray actually means a great deal to him. It’s been over a year. He’s comfortable here, and he could stay longer if he wanted.

But then one night they’ve decided to stick to a simple bar, and they order drinks together, and sit down to talk.

“Don’t you think it’s a little strange that we never hang out during the day?” Ray says, tracing a finger around the rim of his glass. “My daytime friends ask about you all the time, since I’m always talking about you. They want to meet you, Soo.”

“I’m not really a daytime person,” Kyungsoo says uncertainly. “I’ve told you how I work. I wake up late, write all afternoon, and then go out at night. It works for me.” That part is actually true; Kyungsoo is writing, he’s just not getting published. He’ll submit his work to an agency once he gets back to New York, whenever that is.

Ray heaves a sigh. He’s probably already a little intoxicated. “I want you to be a larger part of my life, though. I want you to meet my friends, too.”

“I’ve met your night friends,” Kyungsoo points out, taking a sip of his own drink. “I’m close to them.”

“But I have other daytime friends that mean more to me,” Ray says, leaning forward. “I think you should come to dinner with us sometime.”

“If it’s late at night, I suppose I could,” Kyungsoo muses, running a nail up the glass to collect the condensation. He watches the accumulated moisture drip off. “They might not like me much.”

“Nonsense,” Ray says, clapping him on the shoulder. “They’ll love you.”

“Hmm,” Kyungsoo replies.

Ray gets a little drunk. Not too much, but enough. So Kyungsoo decides to walk him home, because it’s getting late and he can’t do that in the morning.

“I don’t want to go home right now,” Ray mumbles. “Can I stay over at your place?”

“I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” Kyungsoo begins, but Ray interrupts.

“Please?” And something about the look on his face causes Kyungsoo to agree.

He lets Ray in his front door, shutting it behind him. “Need anything?” Kyungsoo asks, and Ray turns around.

“Listen, Soo,” he says, shuffling with his hands in his pockets. “We’ve been friends for a while now, right?”

“Yes?” Kyungsoo says cautiously. He’s not sure how he feels about the atmosphere in the room.

“There’s no way to go about this delicately, I guess, so. I think I’m in love with you.”

Kyungsoo lifts his eyes to meet Ray’s gaze. He looks almost hollow. “Ray, I. I don’t really know how to reply to that.”

“You don’t have to reply,” Ray says, looking down and breaking their staring contest. “I just needed you to know that.”

Kyungsoo freezes. “No. That’s not it. My future is so uncertain. You have to understand that. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even know why I came here in the first place. Did I come here because I wanted something, or was I running away from something else? And the problem is that I’m starting to have feelings for you, too, and I don’t know what to do with that.” He looks down at his own pale hands, taking in the nails he files down every day. “I like it here. But I don’t really belong, Ray. I don’t belong anywhere, anymore.” The words are pouring out of him. There’s a lot he’s kept to himself over the years, like his desire to lead a normal life. It didn’t used to be this bad, but now that there’s something he wants to live for, things are different.

Ray takes a step closer. “I don’t know everything you’ve been through, but what I do know is that we have this, right here, right now,” he says, placing his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips. “And I want you, and I think you want me.”

Kyungsoo stares into his eyes. He has a few options here. He could reject Ray entirely, but that would only lead to emotional ruin... or he could act on his rising desires. “Fuck it,” he decides. “Let’s do this.”

Ray’s eyes widen, and Kyungsoo grabs his hand and drags him to the bedroom.

The sex they have is a different kind of desperate, so different than all of the sex Kyungsoo has had over the course of the past year. When they’re apart for even seconds, there’s a sort of a longing to be together again. The physical contact is intoxicating, even for Kyungsoo. The kisses they share are heaven. Kyungsoo doesn’t want to be in love, and he’s trying desperately to pull himself out but he keeps sinking.

They collapse next to each other once they are finished, Ray panting, Kyungsoo silent and staring. He can feel the emotion between them on the physical plane, and he’s not sure if he likes it.

\--

They fall asleep, and when Kyungsoo wakes up, an hour later, it’s four in the morning. Still dark out, he notices. Strange for him.

He sits up, and notices Ray next to him.

Fuck.

This wasn’t what he wanted. He can’t do this. It’s been almost 100 years since _he_ was killed, and every damn time Kyungsoo tries to have a relationship with someone, this happens. He doesn’t want to get attached. Fuck spur of the moment, everyone around him just ends up dead.

Kyungsoo gets out of bed and quietly puts on his clothes. He grabs his old suitcase from when he first arrived, and packs carefully, putting only the absolute necessities in the case. Clothes, a few bags of blood for the trip, his manuscripts. The apartment is virtually empty, anyway. None of this matters.

He hunts down a pad of paper and a pen; at least he has plenty of that.

_Ray. I’m sorry, but I had to do this. It’s for your own good. Please understand that. Relationships with me never work out._

_I won’t be back. Don’t look for me. Move on, and live a long and healthy life. You deserve better._

_Kyungsoo_

He calls a cab, and while he waits, he looks around the apartment that housed him for a year. He won’t miss it.

The key gets left on the one table he owns, and as he slips out the door, he looks back one last time. The feeling inside him isn’t happiness.

\--

SOMEWHERE IN NEW ENGLAND, 2017

“—and so that’s what happened in San Francisco,” Kyungsoo finishes. He’s sitting next to Jongdae on his couch in his lavender-painted living room, staring at his coffee table, on which lies an envelope, with a return address in San Francisco.

Jongdae clears his throat. “Really.”

Kyungsoo looks over at him. “Why? Did you think I would lie?”

“No, it’s just, maybe a little hard to believe?” Jongdae frowns, still staring at the envelope. “That’s wrong, let me rephrase that. It’s weird seeing you here, in pajamas, looking all cuddly, and then thinking about you at a San Francisco sex club getting spit roasted.”

Kyungsoo would blush if he could. “I wouldn’t put it like that.”

“But that’s what happened, right?” Jongdae says, finally looking away from the envelope and lifting an eyebrow.

“Yes, I suppose. But that’s not the important thing here,” Kyungsoo says, reaching out and grabbing the envelope. “The important part is that I just received what appears to be a letter from a man I thought was dead, or had at the least forgotten about me by now.”

Jongdae frowns. “Dead? Wasn’t he born in the forties?”

Kyungsoo heaves a sigh. “AIDS crisis, 1980s. San Francisco was hit hard. I told myself he was probably dead, and forgot about him.”

“Right,” Jongdae says, subdued. “But then if you went by Soo, how did he find you?”

“I have no idea,” Kyungsoo says. “Maybe I slipped up somewhere. The only way to find out is to open the envelope.” He turns it over in his hands. “I’m not sure I want to.”

“I can do it for you if you want,” Jongdae offers, but Kyungsoo shakes his head.

“I don’t want to, but I owe him at least this. Though you are free to read with me,” he says, and flicks out a claw to slit the envelope open. He pulls out a folded sheet of decently thick paper, and Jongdae settles his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder to read.

_Dear Soo,_

_Or is it Kyungsoo? I suppose I never really knew your real name, although I was fine with the one you gave me._

_You might remember me from back in 1976, when we met for the first time. I checked you into my hotel, and we went out for drinks later that night._

_Naturally I was distraught when you left me that morning. I thought we were going places, that our relationship would last. I was wrong. Your note left me thinking about what I could have done to convince you otherwise, that you were good enough for me, better even._

_I guess it was telling that I never knew very much about where you came from, and why you came to San Francisco. But all of that is in the past, now._

_You were right. I eventually did move on, although I wish I could have talked to you at least one more time before you left._

_We’re old men now, Soo. I’m 72. I think I’m dying. I find out tomorrow whether the tumors in my lungs are cancerous or not, and I’m supposing that they probably are. But I don’t think I’m afraid._

_When you left, I was devastated for a long time, but I did get over it. I dated, I survived through the AIDS crisis, and I even got married! Me! Married! I dated William for so many years, and on the day they finally legalized marriage, we both cried. And we got married, Soo. It was wonderful._

_Because of my health, I’ve been thinking a lot about my life recently. One of the regrets I’ve had over the years is never managing to contact you. So I thought to myself, maybe with the internet these days, I might be able to find something. So I searched for Soo, and then for Kyungsoo, and imagine my surprise that after a few hours of searching, I saw your name mentioned in a list affiliated with some publishing company. I asked them for your address, saying I was your longtime fan, and they gave it to me._

_I’m not sure if this letter will ever reach you, Soo, but if it does, I would like to see you again, or even hear from you again, just once more. We spent so much time together that year. I didn’t only lose a love interest, but also a best friend._

_If this is really you, Soo, please write me back. I want to officially say goodbye._

_Yours,  
Ray_

\--

_Ray,_

_I can’t apologize for leaving you back then. It wouldn’t feel right. But know that in my heart, I do regret it. I tried to block out thoughts of you for so many years afterwards, and I told myself you had died just so I could get over you._

_Before you met me, I dated a man, and he died suddenly. It ruined me. I was still in love with him even when we met, to be honest._

_But I did eventually move on. I’m happy to hear that you did, too. These days I’m working as a librarian, and I’m dating a man named Jongdae. I have friends who care about me, and I think I’m happy. That hasn’t happened to me very often._

_I’m sorry that I cannot come and see you. I have certain restrictions that disallow me from doing so, but feel free to reply to this letter. I will write you back until the day I die. I owe you that, because you were a good friend to me, and for a while I think I loved you._

_I hope you remain in good health, and I’m so very glad to have heard from you._

_My real name is indeed Kyungsoo._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h i b u d i hope you liked it. probably more to come.


	3. Salem, 1893

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did Kyungsoo have to fight a whole bunch of zombies in Salem? This is why. It's kind of his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h e y lol its been a while... so warning this one gets kinda gross at some points, there's a lot of mentions of violence and death (not of any main characters tho no worries) so if you're not down with that don't read this part. the real nasty part comes at the mention of the pig, you can skip to the next break to avoid that bit if u want. honestly this is just me trying to prove to myself that i can write something besides fluff, plus some backstory.
> 
> ...try to enjoy it anyway lol.

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, 2017

“Careful, dammit,” Kyungsoo warns, as Jongdae nearly trips over a rock. “You’re so fragile that if you hit your head on one of those rocks, you could die.”

“Thanks for reminding me of my own mortality,” Jongdae grumbles. “And would you really just let me die? Wouldn’t you catch me?”

Kyungsoo sighs. “I’d really rather not have to,” he says, and looks up at the moon. It’s waning, and isn’t providing very much light, which isn’t a problem for him, but it is for Jongdae.

They’re touring around Salem at night. Jongdae is a little drunk, just to make things scary, and Kyungsoo is showing him his old haunts and the battlegrounds from that one fateful night so many years ago. It’s a little chilly, but clear, and Kyungsoo couldn’t have picked a better night.

He kicks at some fallen leaves as they walk. He hasn’t been here in quite a while, and it’s strange being back.

“So what exactly happened here?” Jongdae asks. “I know you had to fight a horde of zombies, and that the witches created them, but what happened before that? They wouldn’t just raise a horde to piss you off, would they?”

“I think it was more of the other way around,” Kyungsoo replies. “Let me tell you.”

\--

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, 1893

Kyungsoo leaps off the train, tumbling into the grass. He rolls onto his stomach, and sticks his head up, looking and smelling around for any signs of human life. Finding none, he stands, brushing off his clothing. Not going to the station was a good idea.

He sets off in the direction of the outskirts of town, noting an address scribbled on a piece of paper stuffed in his pocket. His other vampire friends from further south has given him the address so he could contact the Salem coven, though they appear to be on the smaller side.

Hopping a fence, he continues running, pausing to check street names. In the dead of night here, unlike the big cities, there are no humans milling around drunk, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Right now, Kyungsoo just wants to be left alone.

Eventually he finds a broken-down looking house up on a hill overlooking the rest of town. Scaling the hill in a series of leaps, he darts up the porch steps and knocks on the door.

“Who in the devil’s name is that?” comes a voice from inside with a snarl. “If you’re from town, you better run along right now or you’ll find that you won’t be going back.”

“I’m not from town,” Kyungsoo calls out. “The Boston clan instructed me to come here.”

There’s some scuffling, a pause, and then the door opens. A sallow face peers out, dark eyes glittering. “The Boston Clan, indeed. Are you here on business?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “Of course not. I serve no other, and belong to no clan. Let me in so we can talk.”

The man’s eyes narrow, then he steps back and opens the door. “I suppose you can come in, yes. I’m telling you now, though,” he warns, “Try anything and we’ll rip you to shreds.”

Kyungsoo would very much like to see them try, but he’d rather not kill any of his own kind if he can help it. He follows the other vampire deeper into the house, taking in the trashed decor.

They end up in a sitting room. The couch cushions are torn and dirty, and there are bloodstains everywhere. The whole place reeks of blood and human flesh, and thirty years ago, Kyungsoo would have wrinkled his nose, but that was then. This is now, and he could care less.

In the corner there’s a vampire who appears to be feeding on a clearly dead human, and Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow. The vampire who had answered the door shrugs. “His fault; he wandered up here. The others know better. We pick off the stupid ones.”

“Fair enough,” Kyungsoo allows, and seats himself on one of the couches. The vampire in the corner grunts, and releases the body. As he stands, it drops to the floor.

“Boyd, dammit. Take that shit outside,” the vampire says, and the one in the corner snarls.

“I was getting to it, you prick. Give a man a break after his meal,” Boyd says, making a rude gesture that from Kyungsoo’s knowledge, implied that the other vampire’s mother was a whore. Which kind of loses its effect as none of them know the details of their human parentage. Kyungsoo gets the feeling that Boyd is the clear underdog.

“Just do it,” the vampire growls back. He turns to Kyungsoo. “It starts to smell in here if we don’t, so we dump the bodies outside and later leave them in the woods. Sometimes the humans find them and get scared.” He grins wickedly, exposing his long and sharp incisors. “The screams are hilarious.”

He says it like the room doesn’t already smell. “Wonderful,” Kyungsoo says, looking down at his nails. One of them is broken; he’ll have to do something about that.

“Aren’t you just a goddamn ray of sunshine,” the vampire intones. “Right, so let’s do introductions, shall we? Fatass over there is Boyd,” he gestures to the vampire now dragging the body out of the room, “And I’m Antony. There are a few more of us, but some are out hunting, and I think Oscar is upstairs. Oscar!” he yells, startling a flock of bats residing on the porch, “We have a visitor! Get down here!”

There’s a thump on the floorboards, and a loud groan. “Hold onto your horse, Tony, I’m coming,” calls a voice in reply. 

Antony shakes his head. “Always lazing about,” he says, “Either that or fucking his prey before he eats it.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t even lift an eyebrow, because he’s done that before, and it happens to be fun. “I’m Kyungsoo,” he says, just as Oscar makes his way down the stairs.

Oscar is a hulk of a man, tall with broad shoulders. He must have done some heavy farm work in his past life to have musculature like that, Kyungsoo thinks absentmindedly.

“I’m Oscar,” he says, walking over to give Kyungsoo a perfunctory handshake. “Bitten 47 years ago, now.” Oscar is the attractive type that any man or woman would want to bed with, and Kyungsoo thinks that he’s found a decent target.

“I was born in 1689,” Kyungsoo says simply. Antony whirls around.

“1689!” he repeats, and Kyungsoo leans back against the couch cushions. “That makes you... over 200 years old!”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo replies. “Look, I just need to know the rules around here, and if you could give me a room, I’ll stay out of your way.”

The door bursts open, and a whole gaggle of vampires led by one with long reddish hair pour into the room. “Now what would be the fun in that?” the red-haired one says. Kyungsoo looks up, choosing not to comment.

“This is Elijah,” Antony says, now slumped in an armchair. “Elijah, this is Kyungsoo. He’s a hell of a lot older than you are, so show some goddamn respect.”

Elijah makes a different rude gesture at Antony, and turns to Kyungsoo instead. “Do what you want, but we raise hell here in Salem. The witches are hilarious.”

“Please stop provoking them,” Antony says, face hidden behind his hands. “Remember what happened last time?”

“We fought them off, no problem,” Elijah says as the rest of the vampires lose interest and scatter. “If you have a problem, you can step down as head of the clan.”

“Absolutely not,” Antony says, rising from his seat. His claws flick out, and he bares his teeth. “Try and fight me again, Elijah. I won’t hold back from killing you this time.”

Elijah smirks. “And if you did, the rest of the coven would then kill you. But I’ll stay out of it. One day you’ll step down, you’ll see.” He turns to go up the stairs, but at the last second he jogs back to Kyungsoo’s seat.

“We’re going out again tomorrow night. Join us if you wish, but if you don’t you’re missing a whole heap of fun,” he says, tapping a temple with a claw.

Kyungsoo simple exhales. “I’ll think about it.”

Elijah shrugs and leaps up the stairs. When he’s gone Antony sighs. “They’re going to get us all killed one day,” he says, falling back into his chair. “And it’s not going to be my fault, for once. You said you wanted a room, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo nods, and Antony points at the ceiling. “The house is pretty big, and I think we have a spare from when someone accidentally slept outside. All the windows are boarded up, so no need to worry about that. Top floor, probably the room on the end. Do what you want with it.”

Nodding his head in deference to the clan leader, Kyungsoo silently makes his way up the stairs, leaving both Antony and Oscar behind.

\--

It takes a few days for him to leave his room. Nobody bothers him; he didn’t expect them to. But like any vampire, he has a hunger that he needs to sate, and he is not suicidal.

He’s a little weaker than he normally is, so he stays on guard as he walks down the stairs to the first level of the house on his fourth night there.

Oscar is lying across one of the bloodstained couches, playing around with a pen. “Haven’t seen you in a few days,” he remarks, looking up.

“No, you have not,” Kyungsoo agrees. “Are there any rules here about feeding on humans?”

“Just don’t break secrecy. We’re not particularly attached to anybody here, so you can take whoever you want. I would avoid taking a witch’s blood in general, because they tend to get mad about that, and have the ability to retaliate, but of course that doesn’t stop Elijah,” Oscar says with a hoarse laugh. “Personally I prefer not to, because their blood tastes like shit.”

Kyungsoo nods, and turns to head out the door, but when he opens it there’s a female vampire standing there with blood all over her face and dress.

“Move,” she says. Kyungsoo blinks. He’s tempted to knock her down.

“Shut up, Abigail,” Oscar calls out. “He’s the old one we told you about. I wouldn’t mess with him, if I were you.” Abigail narrows her eyes, but apologizes, so Kyungsoo shuffles over to let her in.

“Sorry, old guy, but you’re really not much to look at,” she says, shoving Oscar’s legs off the couch and sitting. “Oscar, are we going to fuck, or not?”

Oscar rights himself. Like Kyungsoo’s first day, he’s still not wearing a shirt. “I guess we can, yes. Upstairs, or here?”

Abigail frowns. “I think Elijah is going to be out for most of tonight, so we can do it here.” She looks at Kyungsoo with what he would describe as a particularly arrogant expression. “Are you going to stay and watch?”

Kyungsoo keeps his expression blank. She wants attention, and it’s annoying. “No, but thank you for the offer,” he says, and walks out the door, shutting it behind him softly.

Ignoring the sounds coming from the house, he steps off the porch, looking up at the sky. It’s cloudy, making the night darker than it usually is. Good. Kyungsoo sets off for town, this time sticking to streets. He’s hoping to run into a human.

Minutes later, he’s leaning against what is maybe an inn when he spots a woman walking in the general direction of the ocean. He tilts his head to the side. Strange that she is alone, but she’ll do.

When she reaches even with him, he calls out. “Can I help you with anything, madam?”

She startles, holding a fist to her chest. “Oh! I... no, thank you, sir.”

Kyungsoo observes her from his distance of a few meters away. She’s young, and dressed in sensible clothing. He decides not to kill her. Knocking her out should do. “Are you certain? You’re looking a little pale.”

“Am I?” she asks, bringing a hand up to her cheek. “I feel fine.”

Kyungsoo takes a few steps closer, and holds his palm to her forehead. “That’s strange,” he murmurs in a low voice. “You seem a little warm.”

“Oh,” she says quietly, looking up at him. She looks a little scared, but that’s understandable.

“I think there’s something on your neck,” he says, and uses a swift blow to the back of her head to knock her out. She falls forward into his arms, and Kyungsoo lifts her up.

Making sure no one is watching, he carries her unconscious body behind a building. There, he lowers himself on a knee, and rests her torso over his thigh. Kyungsoo sinks his teeth into her neck, and drinks deeply. He stops himself before too long, and carefully cleans up, closing the bites and lapping up any spillage.

Kyungsoo leaves the girl’s body with a man and his wife, telling them she had collapsed on the street.

\--

An hour later, he’s still a little hungry, so he climbs a tree in attempts to find easy prey. To his vague surprise, there is a commotion coming from the north side of town. He’s a little curious, so he jumps down and sets off.

Upon arriving, Kyungsoo realizes he recognizes some of the people yelling. It’s Elijah and his group of three followers. He stands off to the side to observe, but after a while Elijah notices him.

“Kyungsoo! Come, join in. It’s a bunch of fun,” he yells, waving Kyungsoo over.

Kyungsoo doesn’t have anything better to do, so he wanders closer to the group. He realizes that the group is surrounding a vampire and what smells like a witch fighting. As he watches, the witch throws a ball of fire, scorching the vampire’s arm, who howls in pain.

“Alright, gig is up!” Elijah yells. “Get ‘em.” The vampires all rush at the witches, who turn tail and run. Kyungsoo watches the vampires pursue the witches down the road and further away from town.

“I told the witch I’d stop pissing them off if she could win a fight, but I was just joking. Hopefully they’ll kill her,” Elijah says, still peering after the people running in the distance. “What brings you out?”

“I was hungry, so I bit a human,” Kyungsoo says simply.

Elijah laughs and slaps Kyungsoo’s back. “You must be joking,” he says, clutching his stomach. “Come, you need to have more fun. Let’s take a kill together, shall we?”

“I am still a little hungry,” Kyungsoo admits, and Elijah drags him off.

“We’ll go to the tavern. They’re funny when they run.”

Kyungsoo lifts his eyebrows, but Elijah isn’t paying attention. They arrive at the pub, and Elijah plops down on the fence across the road to wait.

“When someone comes out, just follow my lead,” he says, and they don’t have to wait long. A drunkard comes stumbling out, and Elijah’s head perks up, not unlike a cat spotting a bird. “Alright, you decide, do we jump him now or do we make him run?”

Kyungsoo looks over at him. “I thought the point was to be secretive.”

Elijah laughs. “We could, but since we’re going to kill him anyway...”

“Do you kill everyone you drink from?” Kyungsoo says, an eyebrow lifted. He kills frequently, but certainly not every human he comes across.

“Obviously,” Elijah snorts. “You would be the type to protect the humans. Look,” he says, standing up and brushing off the seat of his torn trousers, “They’re dumb, and there’s plenty of them here. So let’s make him run a little before we kill him.”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo says, also rising.

Elijah rubs his hands together. “Then let’s get started.” He grins wickedly, then raises his voice. “Hey, fatty, where do you think you’re going?”

The man’s head whips around. “Eh?” He is very much intoxicated.

Making his way over, Elijah flicks out his claws. “I want to play a game, fatty. You want to play?”

“No,” the man says dismissively, and totters further down the road. Elijah quickly catches up.

“Whoa, whoa,” he says, and Kyungsoo slowly ambles over. This seems like fun. “I didn’t say it was optional.”

“Dun want to,” the man says again, and Elijah grips the collar of his jacket to keep him from walking away. He looks affronted at this. “Get yer hands off me.”

“I don’t think so,” Elijah says, and smiles at him. “Now, let me explain the game. You’re going to run, and me and my friend here,”-- he gestures at Kyungsoo-- “are going to chase you. If you run well, you get to live longer, and it’ll hurt less when you die. If you run slowly, and my game is boring, you’ll die in pain. Your pick, ready go!” Elijah shouts, and gives the man a push. He doesn’t run, though, and Kyungsoo looks back at Elijah to see what he’ll do.

Elijah makes a tutting noise. “Well, that won’t do. It looks like you need a little encouragement, hmm?” The man just looks at him strangely. “Yes, you do.” He whips out his claws and slashes the man on the arm.

The man howls in pain. “Are you mad?” he shouts, and Elijah smiles, showing all of his teeth.

“Well, that, and I’m also a monster. Now run, before I kill you.”

He finally seems to take Elijah’s advice and turns, starting slow, but speeding up. Elijah watches him run for a while. “Need to give him a head start, you know. More fun that way,” he explains. Kyungsoo nods. He can understand that.

After a few more moments, Elijah’s patience seems to wear out, and he motions for Kyungsoo to come with him. “Alright, enough of this. Let the chase begin,” he says, and takes off.

Kyungsoo follows close behind as Elijah proceeds to antagonize the ever living fuck out of the drunk man. He even slows down a few times just to keep him running.

But eventually Elijah gets bored, and tackles the man to the ground.

“You said you weren’t going to kill me,” the man blubbers, clearly scared out of his mind.

At this, Elijah’s face lights up. “Ah, see, that’s where you’re wrong. I only said I wouldn’t kill you painfully,” he reminds the man, and knocks him out with a few bashes of his head to the cobblestones. Turning to Kyungsoo, Elijah motions for him to get closer. “You still want a bite or two?”

Kyungsoo shrugs, and drops to his knees. “Why not?”

“Atta boy,” Elijah grins. “I’m sorry if I keep acting like you’re younger than me, but you look it, seriously,” he says before bending down and biting into the man’s still pumping veins.

Kyungsoo lifts one of the man’s wrists to his mouth instead of going for the neck. He’s nearly full, so this will be plenty to satisfy him. He takes a couple deep drinks before dropping the man’s arm and sitting back on his heels. “It’s fine if you treat me like I’m younger,” he says, watching Elijah drink messily. “As long as you treat me as an equal.”

Elijah stops drinking for a moment to reply. “Of course,” he scoffs. “I’m not an idiot, unlike Oscar or Antony. I’m not going to treat you like shit, but I’d prefer a little camaraderie, you see?”

Kyungsoo surprised himself by nodding. “I suppose, yes. That does sound better.”

“And if we’re going to be dining together,” Elijah says, gesturing at the man bleeding out in front of them, “then we might as well be friends, right?” He sinks his teeth in again.

Laughing quietly, Kyungsoo agrees. “You are correct in that. Friends it is, then.” But the word doesn’t do anything to stop the sinking feeling.

\--

It might be the group in particular, or maybe it’s just that Salem is a relatively small town, but the clan gets up to a lot more trouble than any group of people Kyungsoo has met before.

They’re out at night, as per usual, and Elijah is drawing in the dirt with a stick.

“And so if we come in from this angle, they won’t be able to see us,” he says, tapping a part of his drawing. Kyungsoo thinks he’s planning some sort of infiltration. “Then, we sneak around and light the torches. After we can just run away; it’s already going to be on fire so it won’t matter.” Kyungsoo blinks. Arson, then.

One of the females raises a hand. “How are we going to light the torches?”

Elijah drops the stick and stands. “Oh, good question. Perhaps we should light tinder beforehand, and then when the time comes, we light our torches before splitting up.”

“That’ll work, yeah,” the other male says, brushing dirt off his pants. Not that it matters much, because all of their clothes are filthy. “Kyungsoo, you coming?”

“Sure,” Kyungsoo says, jumping down from where he was standing on the back railing. “I’ve been bored.”

“Well, then you’ll enjoy this,” Elijah nearly cackles. “We’re burning down one of the witches’ hovels.”

Kyungsoo lifts an eyebrow. “Are you certain that’s a good idea?” The witches have been increasingly restless lately.

Elijah waves him off, and checks his pockets for his tinderbox. “Don’t worry. Not only can we outrun them, but we’re stronger, and in the worst case scenario, we’ll just get you to fight them off.”

Narrowing his eyes, Kyungsoo flicks out his claws. “I see.”

“But don’t worry, really. We’re just going to run off after this one,” he tacks on hurriedly. “You won’t have to fight anyone, I promise.”

“I better not,” Kyungsoo says, and gestures for Elijah to go on ahead.

Elijah nods. “Come, then, ladies and gentlemen, to the greatest fire show of the century!” he cries, throwing his hands up. He marches in the direction of the witches’ part of town, and Kyungsoo follows behind, perhaps only a little reluctantly.

When they arrive, Kyungsoo is beginning to see why the other vampires get such a rise out of antagonizing the witches. It’s fun, he realizes, as he grips his own lit torch.

He sneaks around the corner of the house, counting under his breath. Another twenty seconds until they burn the place to the ground. He takes a brief moment to contemplate his actions. Normally, Kyungsoo doesn’t like stirring up trouble, but if it helps him feel something again, he’ll do anything. Besides, burning the witches isn’t breaking secrecy.

Setting the tip of his torch up against the base of the building, Kyungsoo chuckles darkly. Wooden houses, right? He waits for a few moments while it lights up, then moves onto the next point. Once he’s repeated the process in three separate places, he raises a fist, punches in a window and tosses the torch in. How else was he going to dispose of it, right?

Kyungsoo doesn’t bother to run away. If something wants to attack him, that’s their problem.

“Did you get all three points?” Elijah says as they meet up at the designated location. Kyungsoo just nods. “And did you throw the torch in?”

“Naturally,” Kyungsoo says. “I didn’t hear any screams, but then I wasn’t paying attention.”

Elijah chuckles. “You are a damned riot, Kyungsoo. I certainly heard screams. Let’s sit down and watch the carnage, shall we?” He pats the large-ish rock settled into the earth beside them.

Kyungsoo answers that question by plopping down and resting his chin on a palm. Sure enough, witches come running out yelling, beating out the flames on their dresses and jackets, respectively. Beside him, Elijah roars with laughter, slapping his knees.

“This is absolutely the best laugh I’ve had in months,” Elijah says, slapping Kyungsoo’s back. His eyes are still trained on the spectacle. “I can’t believe they’re this dumb.”

“Hmm.”

The witches, however, somehow manage to extinguish the flames, and troop back inside the house to do whatever you do when your house burns down. Kyungsoo’s never had that happen to him, so he wouldn’t know.

“That was wonderful,” Elijah says, standing up and brushing off his trousers. “Might as well go back home now.”

“I’ll probably stay out a bit longer,” Kyungsoo says idly. He’s still a tad hungry. “Don’t wait up.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Elijah replies, heading away to meet up with the others.

Kyungsoo thinks about staying here until the sun comes up, but he could do with that meal.

\--

Kyungsoo’s feelings of emptiness can be filled, he realizes. While only temporary, sex fills the hole. He can’t think about the dead when he’s focused on something else.

It takes little convincing to get Oscar to have sex with him.

“We’re going to have sex,” Kyungsoo says as he walks into Oscar’s bedroom one early evening.

Oscar looks up from where he appears to be writing a letter. “What?”

“Sex. I need it. Strip,” he reiterates, starting on the buttons to his shirt.

Standing, Oscar puts down his pen and paper. “Hold on,” he says. “That’s the devil’s work.”

Kyungsoo pauses in his undressing and glares. “We’re monsters, Oscar. If there’s a hell, we’re already going. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

Oscar seems uncomfortable upon hearing that. “Doesn’t mean I’m going to fuck you.”

Kyungsoo manages to strip off his shirt. He’ll need a new one soon; this one is getting rather threadbare. “I think you will anyway,” he says, unbuttoning his pants. “Just pretend I’m a girl, if it makes you feel better.”

“I... well.” This is the most awkward he’s ever seen Oscar, but then something in him seems to snap. “You don’t mind if I...?”

“If I wanted to be treated like a princess, I would have gone to elsewhere,” Kyungsoo says, and kicks off his pants. “Let’s get this over with.”

\--

It gets worse from there. Kyungsoo’s apathy gets the better of him, and finds his moral alignments getting closer and closer to Elijah’s. It doesn’t matter, anyway, all of these stupid people will die in the end, and what’s cutting it shorter by a few years? Kyungsoo is having fun.

“We need more people for the clan,” Elijah decides one day. “Let’s turn someone.”

Kyungsoo looks at him out of the corner of his eye. “Have you done that before?”

Elijah bites at a broken claw. “No, I have not. Never had any desire to. Have you?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I’ve never found anyone that I have deemed worthy of turning. And even if you do like someone’s personality, once you turn them and their memories go away, you’re starting out with a blank slate.”

Elijah makes a face and plants his ass on the ground. He scrapes a hand through his slightly ragged hair (they had been practicing their fighting), and continues biting the broken nail as he thinks. “So what you’re saying,” he surmises, “Is that we might as well turn someone pretty, because we get to mold their personality, anyway?”

Kyungsoo nods. “Yes, indeed. I’ve never thought of it like that, but your reasoning does seem sound.”

Laughing quietly, Elijah stands up. “Right, then. Let’s find ourselves a fair maiden or handsome fellow, and turn them until we have the most beautiful clan on the continent.”

“We would have to kill Boyd first,” Kyungsoo comments idly, sparking another round of laughter.

\--

The bodies slowly pile up. The residents of Salem have to have noticed by now, Kyungsoo is sure, but they don’t really seem to be doing anything about it. Not that he cares much, but secrecy must be upheld.

So occasionally they resort to killing animals. They can’t eat them, but it provides a bit of sport, and a bit of a challenge, as well, because the larger animals can actually fight back for a while.

But it’s not uncommon for Kyungsoo and the rest to stumble home at some asinine hour, clothes covered in blood, spoils dangling from claws that haven’t been retracted in weeks. The only time Kyungsoo remembers being this wild is when he was first born, and running for his life.

Antony, naturally, has an issue with this.

“You all are going to get us exposed,” he snarls upon seeing the corpse they have been parading around the house. “This must stop.”

“And what are you going to do to stop us?” Elijah taunts. Boyd, who had been eyeing the body, is now slowly shuffling his way out of the room. Oscar is likely upstairs, and who knows where Abigail is. “You can’t touch me.”

This is not necessarily true. If Antony has fed recently, he does actually have a chance against Elijah. But as long as Kyungsoo is present, Antony won’t get away with anything, and Elijah knows this. Kyungsoo debates leaving them to fight it out just to see what would happen, but he wants to go out tomorrow night, too, and if Elijah ends up dying, his plans would be canceled. And that would be unfortunate.

Antony just hisses, and they carry on their parade. Kyungsoo can tell that the tensions are rising, however, and eventually they will snap.

\--

Oscar only ever does him from behind. Kyungsoo doesn’t care, though, it’s sex and it’s what he needs right now. Sometimes Oscar wants his mouth when he’s feeling particularly horny, and Kyungsoo just sits there like a ragdoll and takes it. He takes it because it feels good, and it suppresses the feelings of dread bubbling up inside him.

One night, as Kyungsoo is on his knees, face mashed into the limp mattress and hands held behind his back, Antony walks in on them.

“Mother of god,” he hisses, staring at them in horror. “What in the name of Hell are you doing?”

Oscar growls at him. “Get out,” he says, releasing his hold on the back of Kyungsoo’s neck to point at the door. “I do what I want, and if that means fucking an available hole, I’ll do that.”

Antony sneers. “Isn’t Abigail enough for you?”

“Abigail,” Oscar says, preventing Kyungsoo from moving by smashing his forearm back down on his neck, “Is a flighty bitch, and busy right now. And I wanted to fuck something. Are you offering yourself instead?” He hammers his hips into Kyungsoo’s ass a few times for emphasis, and Kyungsoo lets out a suffocated grunt. If he actually needed to breathe, this would be a problem.

“Hell, no,” Antony says, and finally averts his eyes. “But you can be sure she’ll hear about this.” He leaves quickly, shutting the door behind him with a snap.

“It won’t matter,” Oscar roars at him through the walls, and goes back to trying to break the mattress with Kyungsoo’s body.

\--

The side effect from Antony finding out is that now he thinks he’s somehow superior to Kyungsoo. He only manages to suffer through a few days before snapping.

Antony is sitting in an armchair when Kyungsoo returns to the house, bloodstained from a kill spree with Elijah. He’s in a good mood for once, so he’s mildly upset when Antony has to ruin it.

“Been taking cock again?” Antony says with a disgusted look on his face. “You’re disturbed.”

Kyungsoo, who was headed towards the back to get some water to rinse his face, freezes. “What did you say?”

“I said you’re disturbed,” Antony calls out, louder this time. “You’re fucked in the head.”

He turns to Antony and affixes him with a dead stare. “I’m going to give you one chance to take that back and apologize, or you’re going to regret it.”

Antony smirks. “What are you going to do, bend over and offer me your ass? Because Oscar might be a filthy pig, but I know better.”

“You had your chance,” Kyungsoo says simply, darts over to the armchair, and grips Antony by the neck. He rips him from his seat and throws him to the floor. “I’m going to teach you a lesson, and hopefully you’ll remember not to say such things in the future.” Kyungsoo plants a boot on his chest, and presses down until he hears a crack. Antony whimpers in pain. “I think we’ll take this outside, shall we?” he says, looking down at the other vampire with a sadistic smile on his face. No holding back now.

He takes Antony by the shirt collar, and drags him through the house to the back door. Antony struggles, obviously, but Kyungsoo is more experienced and at the moment stronger, as he has just fed. Opening the door, Kyungsoo drops him only to grab him by his neck again and forcefully expel him from the building as hard as he can.

Antony’s body hits a tree then falls to the earth, and lays in a heap, groaning. There is clapping from a short distance away.

“Nice one,” Elijah calls out, sitting on an overturned barrel. “Full marks.” He turns in Antony’s direction. “You don’t get Kyungsoo mad,” he says, crossing his legs neatly. “He gets to do whatever he wants because he’s stronger than us, see?”

Kyungsoo ignores Elijah’s words and marches over to Antony’s body. “I don’t think you’ve broken enough bones,” he says, bending down to examine him. “Which side do you prefer?”

Antony coughs up a mouthful of regurgitated blood.

“Ah, your left? Well, that’s the side of the devil, you know, so I think we’ll have to destroy it.” He grabs Antony’s hair and drags him a bit to straighten everything out.

“Please... don’t...” Antony manages to say.

Kyungsoo smiles at him. “Oh no, I won’t kill you. The Boston Coven specifically told me that if I killed you, they would kill me. But they didn’t say I couldn’t get close.”

Over the course of the next hour, Kyungsoo systematically breaks most of the bones in his body, pausing for a brief lecture in between each break. By the end, Antony can only weakly moan.

Elijah, on the other hand, is sitting and laughing with the rest of his group. “His screams were the best part,” the one female says dreamily. “I’ve been waiting years to hear him scream.”

It’s then that Oscar strolls out of the house. “I heard noises,” he says, and Abigail shoves him out of the way so she can exit as well.

“Did you just beat up Antony?” she asks Kyungsoo, sounding slightly angry. “Oh, good,” she says when Kyungsoo nods. “He deserved it, asshole.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. He’s used up most of his emotional output for the day. “He told me I was disgusting, so I thought it was necessary.”

At this, Abigail laughs. “Is this about the sex thing? Because he told me about that, and I told him that I still wouldn’t have sex with him.”

“Must have been the sex thing. He still alive?” Oscar asks offhandedly. “I’d really rather we not kill him.”

“Oh, come on,” Elijah argues. “He’s never going to get his respect back, so we might as well make me leader.”

Kyungsoo ignores their arguments and goes back to the kitchen. He still wants to wash his face.

\--

Antony survives the ordeal, thanks to a self-conscious Oscar, who pulls him inside in time for him to avoid the sun’s deadly rays. Kyungsoo is honestly past the point of caring.

In other news, tensions between the witches and the vampires have reached an all-time high. To be fair, the witches do have reason: Kyungsoo, Elijah, and the rest have been messing with them for quite some time now, and lately they haven’t been holding back. Yesterday, one of the witches was burned to death in a pit trap they had dug.

Kyungsoo has decided to have a night in to allow his claws some time to grow back in, but he’s jolted back into consciousness by a frantic knocking at his bedroom door.

“Kyungsoo!” comes Elijah’s voice, but for once he actually sounds worried. Strange.

Kyungsoo heaves himself off of his mattress and opens his door. Elijah is covered in blood, as per usual, but the whites of his eyes are showing, and he looks frantic. “What?”

“The witches, they’ve all gathered. They’re doing something big. I don’t know what, but we could die if they finish it!”

Kyungsoo frowns. “How do you know this?”

Shuddering, Elijah says, “I can feel it, all of the negative energy?” He pauses, eyes darting around. “It’s strong, like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

Interesting. Kyungsoo has met witches before, normally under better circumstances, and they have indeed been known to create or summon things they shouldn’t. If the negative energy is tangible, perhaps he should check it out. “I’ll go see what they’re doing, if you’d like,” he proposes, backing up to put some pants on. “I doubt it’s anything too strong, but if you think it’ll be a problem, I’ll go look.”

“Please,” Elijah begs. “I don’t like this.”

Slipping on his shoes, Kyungsoo follows him through the house and out the door. “We did sort of bring this upon ourselves,” he reminds the other. “With all of the taunting. If you didn’t think you could take whatever they cook up, why did you start in the first place?”

“They aren’t supposed to be this powerful,” Elijah hisses. Anger swirls across his face. “I would bet you anything they have company.”

“Interesting,” Kyungsoo comments, and the pair of them run off the direction of the coven. As they approach, Kyungsoo can indeed feel the pressure of the negative energy. Curious. He’s felt the same thing before, but to a lesser extent.

He drags Elijah into the bushes surrounding the ring of houses that makes up the coven. Slapping a hand over Elijah’s mouth, Kyungsoo peers out at the center of the circle. Torches light the area in between the houses, and the flickering light casts strange shadows upon the wooden walls. The witches are there, huddled around something, and they seem to be chanting and swaying. Well, that won’t do.

“You stay here,” he hisses at Elijah. “I’m serious. I don’t need you to get yourself killed in case I need you to save my back.” Elijah looks uncharacteristically serious as he nods, and Kyungsoo is reminded of just how much younger he is.

Right, then. Kyungsoo creeps from the bushes to a tree, and then from the tree he leaps to the roof of one of the houses, landing as quietly as he can (it doesn’t really matter, however, as the chanting seems as if it’s going to reach a peak). As he looks over the heaving mass of witches, he spies a large... something in the center. It’s hairy, a pinkish-grey, has hooves.

Oh. Well that’s not good. It’s a pig sow, which means that the witches are probably birthing something from its stomach, and that something is likely a powerful demon.

Kyungsoo sits down on his haunches and casts his mind back to the witches that he has met in the past. None of them had ever done anything with a pig, but one of them had mentioned offhand that spells with animals usually included sacrifice of the animal, and for that, the animal has to be left alive.

So there’s a possibility that if Kyungsoo kills the pig, their spell or ritual will be destroyed, or at least hampered. And if whatever it is inside the pig’s belly survives, then hopefully it will be easier to kill.

Checking his claws, Kyungsoo sighs softly. This will be messy, unfortunately. He’s going to have to defend himself against the witches while killing the animal. Maybe if he had some kind of distraction... Elijah. Even if he gets rid of a couple witches, two less is two less for Kyungsoo to fight.

He climbs off the house and jumps off the back, scaring some chickens that had been pecking around in the dirt. No matter; the witches are focused on their task and likely aren’t paying too much attention to chickens. Kyungsoo runs quietly back to the place where Elijah is hiding, and crouches.

“Listen,” he says, gripping Elijah roughly by the upper arm, “I’m going to need you to be a distraction. They’ve got a pig sow in the center, and I’m pretty sure it and whatever is in its stomach needs to die, and I’m going to try and accomplish that. You need to distract them, and I’ll do as much damage as possible. If I fail, I’ll get out of there, we’ll regroup, and just try again. From the negative energy I feel, whatever exists in that pig cannot be allowed to stay alive.”

Elijah stares. “This is the most motivated I’ve ever seen you.”

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. “I’m not stupid, just apathetic. But this cannot be allowed to stand, and therefore I must act. Now go. Do something stupid. You’re good at that.”

Pushing Elijah away, Kyungsoo darts away, climbing back onto the same roof. As soon as Elijah manages to distract the witches, he’s going to jump down and do as much damage as possible.

There’s a shout from Elijah’s general direction, and Kyungsoo looks over. So do all of the witches.

“Good afternoon, my least favorite villagers! How many of you are going to die today?”

One of the witches snarls. “We’re tired of living like this. You’re the one that’s going to die today, you nasty vampire! No longer will we allow a lowlife like to you to reign over this town!” He and a few others break away from the circle. “He’s alone! Get him!”

Kyungsoo takes this as his cue to jump off the roof and into the circle.

Knocking a witch down, he springs over a pile of dirt, and with his claws out, rips into the pig. The witches take a moment to react, obviously, but soon they are trying to pull him off. But Kyungsoo is stronger, and he manages to rip out the pig’s throat as they finally detach him. Phase one of his plan is complete.

As the pig dies, it lets out a dreadful scream, blood spurting in every direction. Kyungsoo is immediately soaked, but that is the least of his problems at the moment. The witches have too strong a grip on him, and he writhes. He needs to get free.

Something jolts him from behind, and he looks back to see Elijah sink his claws through the eyes of one of the witches. That distraction allows him to break free from their grip, and he once again darts over to the pig, this time tearing open its belly.

Black sludge immediately pours out, and Kyungsoo recoils. The sludge burns his flesh where it makes contact, but that can’t stop him. Ignoring the pain, he reaches inside the pig until his hands hit something solid. He pulls, and along with more black sludge comes what appears to be a small deformed humanoid corpse, with an abnormally large head and perhaps the start of a tail. It begins wiggling as he removes it, but Kyungsoo is quick to use his other hand to grip its head. With his claws sunk into its cranium and another hand wrapped around its torso, he pulls until the head detaches from body. Maggots pour out, wriggling in every direction. Kyungsoo can feel them beginning to crawl onto his legs, so he drops the body quickly, and before the witches can catch him again, springs away, the head still in one hand. He needs to get to running water.

The black eats into his dead flesh as he runs, and he speeds up, knowing that if it goes too far, he’ll no longer be able to run, and Kyungsoo wants to die at the hands of something with a consciousness.

The river he’s thinking of isn’t too far away, but the town is blocking his path. He has no choice but to cut through (and hope that Elijah is smart enough to get away on his own).

Kyungsoo leaps over a fence and using his claws, attaches himself to the outside of a house. He climbs, lands on the roof, and runs, using the height to leap as far as he can. If the inhabitants of the town were intelligent, they would stay inside tonight, because if Kyungsoo, covered in blood and ichor, encounters anyone, they will need to die.

He reaches the river soon enough, and jumps in, taking the head with him. By dropping it in, he runs the risk of contaminating their water supply, but that’s a risk he’ll have to take. The running water will neutralize the effects of the black sludge and hopefully prevent the demon baby from coming back to life.

Holding himself under, he opens his eyes and watches as the black sluices away and leaves his skin, red and burnt-looking. The head detaches from his claws and hits the bottom of the river, shriveling and turning to dust as he observes. Holy water would be better, but this will suffice.

Only after he’s sure every single bit of black is gone does he surface, about twenty minutes later. The flesh from the demon’s skull has all dissolved away, and he takes it with him. The cool night air burns his skin, and he looks down at his arms to examine their condition.

His shirt is in shreds; he’ll definitely need a new one. Pants, as well, but that’s not the issue here. His skin is still covered in red burns, something he’s never experienced before. Kyungsoo pokes one; it hurts. Hopefully it will heal with time. Maybe if he feeds on the way back to the house, he’ll be a little better off.

But in the meantime, he has to do something about the skull. Bringing it closer to his face so that he may examine it, he scratches at it a bit with his claws. It seems fairly solid, which worries him. If the witches can do something like this, what will they do in the future? One of either the clan or the coven will have to leave the town, and that is certain.

“How do I get rid of you?” Kyungsoo mutters out loud at the skull. “Can’t keep you, breaking you seems difficult...” He walks slowly away from the river, water trailing behind him. He really hopes nobody was watching.

Mentally running through places to stash the thing, Kyungsoo remembers the cemetery to the north. Cemeteries always give him feelings of dread, and if he stays there too long he’ll get sick, but twenty minutes to dig a hole and deposit the skull won’t make much of a difference. He will most certainly have to feed on his way back to the house, but that shouldn’t take long.

Kyungsoo glances up at the sky. It’s still dark, but by his calculations, he only has a few hours left in the night, and a lot of work to do.

\--

The next night is quiet. Elijah, who had indeed made it back safely the previous night (although he did have a considerable amount of healing to do), sends one of his followers to get a look at the witch coven. She returns only an hour later, confused.

“They’re quiet,” she says, sitting on the bloodstained sofa. “I only saw a few of them, and nobody was saying anything. I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Elijah admits, pacing around the room. “It’s most puzzling. I would expect them to want to attack us after we interrupted their ritual.”

Kyungsoo remains silent, eyes narrowed and thinking. The burns on his arms, chest, legs, and face have faded somewhat, but they still sting a bit. He has a bad feeling about their retaliation, but if they don’t seem to be doing anything yet, he has no desire to after them at the moment. He needs to be at full strength, first.

“Should we drive them out?” Elijah asks, turning to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo shakes his head.

“Killing their pig and distracting them is one thing, taking on the whole coven is another. If all of us went to fight, we might have a chance, but Oscar, Boyd, Abigail, and Antony don’t want to get involved. The six of us unfortunately are not a match alone.”

Elijah quirks an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m incompetent?”

“You aren’t, but those four are,” Kyungsoo says with a jerk of his thumb, ignoring their protests. He doesn’t even know their names, and they’re not very strong, so he won’t bother. “We need age, skill, and experience, and that’s something the younglings don’t have.”

Elijah grunts and plops down on Antony’s chair. “I suppose you’re right,” he says, crossing his legs. “What will we do, then?”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo says simply, and rises. “I’m going to sleep. Don’t wake me unless someone dies.”

\--

Unfortunately, as always, actions do have consequences. Kyungsoo is aware of this, of course, but he doesn’t get to see it in action until about a week after killing the pig and demon.

“Do you smell that?” Abigail asks, sitting up. Most of the members of the clan are waiting for the sun to finish setting so they can go out and hunt. Kyungsoo, who has been watching a spider crawl across his fingers from his perch on the stair rail, looks up.

“Smell what?” Antony asks, pausing in his trek to their “kitchen.”

“That... musty smell. Smells like something decaying,” Abigail says, with a wave of her hand.

“It always smells like that, Abby,” Oscar says from his spot on the sofa. “I’m not sure that you’ve noticed, but Boyd does a shite job of cleaning up after himself.”

“I’ve gotten better!” Boyd says hotly. “I haven’t brought anything inside in weeks!”

“Then where is the smell coming from?” Abigail asks, looking around. “Is it something Elijah is doing?”

Elijah pokes his head around the door to the dining room. “I’m here, we’ve been discussing tonight’s plans. What do you want?”

“You don’t smell that?” Abigail asks again. “Seriously, it’s getting pretty strong.”

Suddenly there’s a draft of air, and with it comes tendrils of the smell. It’s musty, alright, like something was killed a long time ago, and just started walking around... Kyungsoo sits up straighter. He’s only ever smelled this smell before once, and that was a long time ago, when he still lived in Korea. Undead corpses of mortal beings, risen by one who calls themselves a necromancer, or a very angry coven of witches.

Kyungsoo leaps down from the railing and darts over to a window. He peers out one of the cracks in the heavy drapes. The sun is set, with just trails of light poking over the horizon, but he can see something emerging from the tree line at the edge of their property. Zombies.

Turning toward the greater room, he says, “They’ve raised dead humans to come and kill us. A whole horde of them, by the intensity of the smell.”

“They’ve done what?” Oscar asks, getting up and pacing over to the window himself. He throws the curtains open, and all of them wince at the weak light coming through. “I don’t...”

Now there isn’t just one, but many coming through the trees. Kyungsoo isn’t sure how he didn’t smell it before, but it’s been a while since he’s seen a zombie, and he wasn’t exactly expecting any to come spilling through the trees.

Antony walks over in long strides to stare out the window with them. “There must be at least a hundred,” he says in disbelief. “They’re coming right for the house.”

Elijah bursts in. “What are they?” he asks, eyes wide. He looks to Kyungsoo, whose mind is racing. They’ll all have to fight if they want to get out of this alive. He can smell even more coming.

“Reanimated human corpses,” he repeats. “The witches must have a necromancer among them.”

“What do we do about it?” Elijah asks, getting a good look out the window for himself.

“We have to fight them,” Kyungsoo says, checking his claws. They’re intact, thank all things holy. He’s going to need them, because he’s fought zombies before, and he knows what they’re about to go through.

“There’s so many...” Abigail trails off. “Is it even possible to fight them at this point?”

“For the sake of secrecy, we’re going to have to kill them all before the villagers find them,” Kyungsoo replies, frowning. The sun’s rays are mostly gone by now, so they better get started. This might take all night.

Boyd, across the room, shakes his head. “Not me,” he says, “You all can fight, but I’m getting out of here. I want no part in this. I didn’t antagonize the witches, Kyungsoo and Elijah did. Goodbye.” He bursts out of the door, despite the remaining light, and sprints away from the house in the opposite direction.

Kyungsoo watches him go, a feeling of dread washing over him. One less to help kill all of those zombies. And they have to be killed. Otherwise, secrecy will be broken, and all of the humans here in Salem will die. No, they have to be killed.

He looks at the others, who are already starting to back up from the window.

“I can’t... I don’t want to,” Abigail says, a shake of her head. “Let me know when it passes.”

Oscar’s eyes dart to Kyungsoo, like he knows that Kyungsoo is going to ask. “I’m going with her,” he says, and together they follow the path Boyd took out of the house.

“I’m not prepared to deal with this,” Antony says, his voice shaking. He’s far too scared for someone immortal. “I’m... I’m going to go get back-up from the Boston Clan. I’m not prepared to deal with this.” He darts upstairs to get something, but is down and running away in a flash.

Elijah and his followers are the only ones left. Kyungsoo meets his eyes, and he can already see him breaking down. “I can’t,” he pleads. “They’re too young.” He gestures to the vampires around him, a pleading expression on his face. “I need to get them out of here. And I don’t think I’m strong enough, either. Come on, you guys.” The group turns tail and runs.

Cowards. All of them. Kyungsoo is the only one left in the house. He’s the only one left to kill them. And the zombies are nearly here.

He paces around the living room. How can he possibly keep the villagers safe while he kills all of these damned zombies? He needs some sort of bait, but bait isn’t something he readily has access to... unless.

Kyungsoo holds his nose up and sniffs. There’s a body somewhere in the house.

With disregard for the furniture, he leaps from room to room, finally finding a corpse in Boyd’s room. It’s starting to smell a bit, but it’ll do. Kyungsoo sinks his claws into the corpse’s chest, kicks it a few times to break some key bones, and then rips open the chest cavity. It isn’t rotted yet inside, which is ideal for what Kyungsoo is about to do.

Scooping up handfuls of flesh, he coats his body in the mixture. Disgusting, but he needs the smell to attract the zombies and draw them away from the town. That done, he kicks out the window and leaps to land on the grass. The first of the zombies have reached the house on the other side—they must have been attracted to the smell of blood that tends to hang around.

Tearing over to the other side, Kyungsoo unsheathes his claws, leaps, and hits the first zombie, managing to take it out in one swipe. He springs to the next, glancing around as he does. There are actually more of them than he’d anticipated, now that he can see all of them. This could take days.

Licking his lips in determination, Kyungsoo shakes dead zombie bits off his claws and jumps.

\--

Some time later, Kyungsoo finds himself on the brink of exhaustion. He needs blood, and the sun is probably going to come up soon. He has managed to lead the zombie horde into an unused field some distance away from the town, but it’s not nearly far enough. He’ll have to go further tomorrow night.

Zombies naturally gravitate towards the cool, so he supposes it will be fine to leave them in the nearby forest for the day. After dunking himself in the river to wash off the bloody smell, Kyungsoo sneaks into a barn and takes blood from an unsuspecting young man, not bothering to kill him. Instead, he buries himself deep in a pile of hay to wait out the day.

\--  
Night sees Kyungsoo back on the hunt, killing as much as possible while also trying to lead the rest of the zombies further away. His motions become repetitive: jump, claws out, rip a head off, and move onto the next.

He can’t help but occasionally think that he would be done by now if the others had stayed to help. Fools, all of them. Kyungsoo thought he had people he could trust, but it’s clear now that he was wrong. He’ll never again get back that sensation of completely and utterly giving himself over to another person. He’s on his own.

In attempts to distract himself from his festering thoughts, he speeds up, trying to count the number of zombies that he kills. But even that soon fades away, and his brain devolves to a more basic, animalistic level, and he stops thinking. Kill, or be killed, and he hasn’t lived this long die now.

\--

The haze in his head clears the next night. Or what he thinks is the next night. Kyungsoo isn’t really sure. He’s on his knees in the mud in the middle of a field, surrounded by zombie corpses.

Shaking his head to clear it, Kyungsoo looks around, and then down at himself. There’s no sign of any human presence, and he’s covered from head to toe in zombie guts. There might even be a little in his mouth. He spits, trying to clear the taste. He’s also going to need some new clothes. His are in tatters.

The air smells rotten, somehow even worse than when all of the zombies were actually animated. Kyungsoo gets to his feet. He doesn’t really remember killing all of these, just the endless onslaught of flesh coming in waves toward him. He also doesn’t know where he is, but if he follows the smell of running water he’s sure to find a town eventually.

But there’s no way he can return to Salem now. He has no desire to see any of the Salem clan ever again, not if they left him to do this on his own.

Stretching, Kyungsoo considers his options. He could go back to Boston, but he has no desire to see anyone there again.

Perhaps, as before, it would be best to just move on. So he picks himself up and runs.

\--

SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, 2017

“And so then I moved west. It took me a while to be able to come back to the East Coast, but it really is better for me here. Less sun, you know?” Kyungsoo says, once again grabbing onto Jongdae’s arm so that he doesn’t trip over a stick. Humans are so delicate.

“Damn,” Jongdae says, whistling. “They left you to do that all alone? Sucks.”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Yeah, well. It’s all in the past, and if I ever see any of them again, I think I’ll kill them on sight.”

“Especially Antony,” Jongdae says, chuckling quietly. He’s definitely sobered up a bit more now. “He sounds like an asshole.”

Kyungsoo gives Jongdae a look. “They were all assholes, that’s the point. None of them had any redeeming qualities.”

Jongdae stops walking to think about it. “I guess you’re right. I mean, you were pretty good friends with Elijah, though, right?”

Kyungsoo laughs dryly. “I wouldn’t call it friends, exactly. He knew his place, and I knew mine, and we both worked together for a common goal. And in the end, Elijah was just like the rest of them.”

“Alright, you know better than I do,” Jongdae says with a shrug, and they resume walking. “Still, I feel like it would be nice to see some of these people, just to know they existed.”

“I’d take you by the witches’ houses, but I really don’t want to risk it,” Kyungsoo reminds him. “It’s late enough. Let’s go back to the hotel, shall we?”

“Sure, I’m getting tired,” Jongdae says, and links his arm with Kyungsoo’s. “You’re too good to me.”

“I try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h e y h i i hope you liked it? idk maybe that was too much... anyway i'm going to post my nano from 2017 next and then maybe write something else but if you've been following this verse you might be interested in the story of ksoo and his lover back when he lived in europe? if you are lemme know and i'll start plotting that out. cheers m8


End file.
